Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-12-22

Of delight. for it seems as though he
had struck it rich AT last A little as
sistauce from capital is all no requires
now to become a millionaire. He sits
down for moment and stares toward
the east with q yearning look in his
soft gray eyes. He is thinking. per-
hnps, Of the home OF his childhood.
and how he has met with success ut
last. He leaps into the pit again and
digs away for dear life. But the walls
of the lode have suddenly come togeth-
er. 1t was merely pocket of ore.
and will never make him rich or any
body else; and fortune. who seemed so
near to him moment ago, is rs far
away us ever.
The 'pincliing out" Of that lode on
ly dshcartenes our prospector for q
moment or so, for there he is now driv-
ing tunnel at the foot of that granite
boss. There is Il fine lot of orc lying
ut the mouth of the opening. 1t is a
sugary. comfy, drusy quartz. and is
sprinkled here and there with gold.
Carefully examine the granite walls OF
the lode and see how clean they are.
The most skillful workman could not
have made them SO smooth or polished
ihom half SO well. Observe those shin
ing punches of crystals there in the
head ne, sure sign that the vein is q
IN - oil hal yal
and the lead matter averages $40 per
ton. 1t is surly rich ledge. aud the
miners fondest hopes may yet be real
zed.
But who are those two men who have
just come over the crest of the hill
above tho tunnelp 1t has no cover and
there is II paper containing some writ
ing fastened on the inner side of its
bottom. They are looking
pair these two, and are there for no
good purpose. See how they crawl
along on their stomachs. They conduct
themselves us though someone m: ght
| SEQ them and make a target of their
worthless carcasses, but nobody molests
them. They have come to II halt. set the
box down on its end. and piled loose
rocks around it to keep it in place. and
then sneak off che way they came like
n couple of cowardly coyotes, which
they closely resemble.
These two worthless belong to that
disreputnble class known here in the
west as claim jumpers. They have
been sent out by some covetous specu-
| lator. who wants the earth and who
sticks ut nothing TO get it. or at least n
large slice of it. He has learned in
some way of this promising prospect
and has engaged those wrcches to post
a notice thereon claiming the property.
There will be fierce dispute over ii
now. The matter VIII be brought into
tho courts. and will probably be settled
some t me in the next decade. 1t will
be ~ conflict of the friendlcss and pen
nilcss against the rich and influential.
Might, and not right generally wins in
such cases not through any fault oil
those who administer the law, but be.
cause of the poverty of the rghtfuI
owner and law itself.
Such is the real life of gold-hunter.
except in few cases. After wears Of
exhausing toll and just when his efforts
arc about to be crowned with SUCCESS.
others step in and steal the fruits of his
labors, or by trickcry and fraud REAP
the harvest which he has sown. Those
who so wrongcd him are so highly hon
ored and respected in the communitie,
where they reside, whlc he who irs
planted the standard of civilization IN
the western wilds and won vast en-
pirc from the wilderness. steals into m
unknown grave.